YOU do not have to be a genius to get into college. There are good degree courses which provide places on the basic two higher Cs - two honours - and there are plenty of certificate/diploma courses on which six good passes will secure a place. Many of these can also lead eventually to a degree.
So by using the alternative cert/diploma route, it is possible to get a degree in some cases even if you had only a pass in your Leaving Cert. Let us be clear about this: it is possible for students of moderate ability to get into college.
It is also true, of course, that some of the most sought after degree courses - and some cert/diploma courses, too - require astronomical points. But it is important for the applicant to put this in perspective.
Of the 16,238 diploma/certificate places offered last year, for example, roughly 12,000 were on courses with a cut off point of less than 300. This means that up to perhaps 10,000 of those sitting the Leaving Cert this year who manage to get 300 points should be able to get into college.
So when we talk about high points, we are talking about a minority of degree courses. Even in the degree area, some excellent courses are available at the 300 to 385-point range in RTCs and the DIT.
High points tell you nothing about the value of a course; they are usually an indicator of a small number of available places. And in many eases the employment situation can be much better for courses with lower points.
This year's best graduate job opportunities are in electronics and computing, yet degree courses in those two areas registered some of the lowest entry points last year.
MAXIMISING YOUR
CHANCES: Very often it is the number of places available on a course which pushes the points up, rather than any intrinsic value in the course itself. There is obviously a much better chance of qualifying for a course with many places than one such as veterinary science, which has only 70 places nationally.
If you look at the tables accompanying this column, you can see how the chance of a place varies with different faculties. Column shows the total number of first preference applicants per course area, column 11 shows the total number of places, and column 111 the number of first preference applicants per available place for 1995.
If you look at this table and spread your preferences accordingly, it is possible to maximise your chances of getting a place. Thus, those making a science degree course their first preference have a one-in-two chance of getting a place, whereas those applying for physiotherapy or pharmacy have only a one-in-13 chance.
On the cert/diploma list, applicants for engineering/technology courses have a one-in-two chance of success, whereas health care candidates have only a one-in-28 chance. There will be others who will have made these courses their second or third preferences.
But the ratio of first preference applicants to available places helps give an idea of the level of competition you face in different areas.
MEDICAL FIXATION: What is clear from these tables is that there are far, far more students seeking places in medical type courses than could ever be accommodated. With just 70 odd places available in veterinary science, about 80 in dentistry, 50 in pharmacy and another 70 in physiotherapy, it is not going to get any easier to secure a place.
There is a maximum of 300 places in medicine and that is not going to change. So anyone applying for places in this area has to accept that points will be high and places few and far between.
When you compare the 5,000 places available in arts degree courses with the 50 in pharmacy, you begin to see why it is easier to get into arts.
On the cert/diploma table, there are over 4,000 first preference applicants chasing just 150 places in health-care courses - that is more than the number seeking some 1,600 science places.
If your abiding vocation is for one of those medical courses, then by all means go ahead and apply. But do be aware of the odds and do make sure that you consider other careers and courses, and that you have fall back options on your CAO form.
ENGINEERING/SCIENCE: By contrast, the odds are quite good for people applying for engineering, technology and science courses.
On the certificate/diploma side, there is a ratio of only two first-preference applicants per place for engineering/technology courses. At degree level in science, the same situation applies.
Interestingly, the best job opportunities for graduates - of both cert/diploma and degree courses - at the moment are in engineering, electronics, technology and computer science. In particular, the engineering/technology courses in the RTCs, it seems to me, offer very good odds.
The points tend to be much lower than for business, arts, legal studies or health care courses at the same level, lower even than science, and these courses can offer very good opportunities.
Clearly there is no point in applying for technology courses if you have no aptitude in this direction, but it is certainly the case that far more students could benefit from considering this option than do at the moment.
OMNIBUS ENTRY: This is another important point to look out for on the CAO/CAS list. It can be used both to maximise one's chances of getting a place and to postpone making a more specific career decision for at least a year.
For example, UCD operates "omnibus" entry for arts - it takes applications for all arts subjects under the one umbrella - or omnibus - heading of "carts".
Trinity, on the other hand, operates "denominated" entry to its arts faculty, i.e., applicant's have to specify - or denominate on the CAO form the arts subjects they are choosing.
You can use this to your advantage. The student who is not sure which science or engineering discipline she wishes to study might be better off applying for UCD, where there is omnibus intake with a common first year course; only at the end of first year do they have to opt finally for a specific science or engineering discipline.
Omnibus entry can sometimes - though not always - mean entry on lower points. In Trinity, for example, the points required for psychology are very high because students have to apply specifically for that course. In UCD, it is possible to get in on lower points because psychology is part of the omnibus arts intake.
UCG's science faculty operates both an omnibus (GY009) science entry and denominated entry into various science options. Thus students can pick the route which suits them best.
The advantage of denominated entry is that if you are certain of the arts, science or engineering option you wish to follow, then if you get a place on it in first year you are in with no further worries.
But with omnibus entry there of places available in each option in second year and only those who do best in the first year exams get their choice.
Effectively, while it gives the student an extra year in which to decide, it also pushes forward by a year the pressure to secure the specific place.
It is important to be aware of the two types of entry and their implications for you, and then to use the system as it best suits your needs.
. UCG: The UCG graduates' association is holding an information evening for applicants and parents in the O'Flaherty Theatre in the college on Monday at 7.30 p.m. There will be 20 minute presentations on the different faculties.
. Waterford RTC: Our apologies, the Waterford RTC open night for mature and part time students was last night, not tonight as stated in yesterday's column.